


Grimm

by orphan_account



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Cause Thanos, Don't Judge Me, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Goes into Marvel comics, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Loki Does What He Wants, Loki Feels, Loki Has Issues, Loki catches feelings, Loki has daddy issues, Odin's kind of a dick, Past Rape/Non-con, Romance, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Shameless Smut, This is also sexual, You don't want Loki right away, You have Thanos issues, You have issues, but is still a story, lokixreader, possible trigger, slightly AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-16
Updated: 2015-01-06
Packaged: 2018-02-25 16:38:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2628773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Collecting secrets is what bought you your freedom from your seemingly endless days as a sex slave, and as the years passed you learned to use your knowledge to turn your enemies into you protectors, finally gaining control of them. You had been spending your days roaming from realm to realm, finding peace in the luxuries given to you because of all the blackmail you had acquired. When you catch wind that Thanos is looking for the infinity gems, you seek refuge in Asgard, as it is the one place Thanos will not search for you. As the stories of your past circulate, Thor feels pity for you but Loki finds you captivating.</p><p>Set pre Thor (movie) in a slightly AU, where Loki is more like the comic book character in his sassary towards Odin and Thor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Golden Opportunity

**Author's Note:**

> So, I've been wanting to write a story involving Loki for the longest time and I finally found a plotline I'd like to stick with. This will include a lot of sex later on, just a pre-warning. But it does have an actual plot line. Comments appreciated ^.^
> 
> *jazz hands*

Polishing your daggers had become a nervous habit of yours. The metal glistened as you moved the dingy cloth over the etched blade, brining your fingertips to the fine point and back down the sharp side. You slipped the blade back into your leather holster at your thigh and stood up, throwing your thin, black skirt over your leg to cover the weapon. The wood creaked under you, worn down from the recent pacing you had been doing inside the small cottage you had claimed for yourself a few days back. Your skirt fluttered around your ankles, the two slits between the fabric allowed the pale moonlight to shine down on your bare legs as you paced more, clasping your hands together and resting your chin on them. It was nearly midnight, you had been waiting for Anthronie to return for hours and your patience was wearing thin. The fire behind you cracked and spat out small bits of charred log at your ankles, you looked back at the dying fire in annoyance as your stomach churned in anticipation.

The cottage door swung open in frenzy, allowing the cold air to blister into the small house. Your skin prickled as Anthronie stumbled in, chest heaving in shallow breaths. Anthronie was a small, stub of an elf with sandy brown hair receding back to reveal a shiny, rounded head. His skin was tinted a pale green color, the armor he wore was old and rusted through, giving it a bronze shine and the leather that held his breastplate in place was worn and dirty. You cocked an eyebrow at him, trying to hid your nervousness behind a snide face.

“Well?” you asked leaning down towards the elder elf.

“It would be wise, my lady, for you to seek refuge in Asgard” he panted.

\--------------------------  
Heimdall towered over you; his eyes peered past your shoulder as you waited for him to find you. You leaned against the wall of the circular room he guarded, wondering how long it would take for him to find your exact location. Your white hooded cape hung loosely on your shoulders, strapped around your neck and held in place by a silver hoop that rested above your chest, the cape ended at your knees and the hood itself rested completely over your head, shading your eyes from the bright afternoon sun. You loved playing this game with him, though it had been years since you had needed to travel to Asgard, you knew Heimdall would sense you coming through the bifrost, and he never tried to stop you. He stood as still as a statue at his post, the muscles in his arms tensed and released before a wide smile crept across his face, swinging his leg up to take a step in your direction. You gripped onto the wall, ready to dodge his oncoming grip when heavy footsteps echoed from the entrance.

“Ready the bifrost! Father has some business he wishes us to attend to” a voice boomed.

“Do you really expect me to believe that lie?” Heimdall responded, turning his attention to the group that had entered.

You shifted your glance from Heimdall to the group that had rudely interrupted your little game. Thor stood in front of the pack of four others, Sif and the Warriors Three. You gritted your teeth at the sight of Sif, her long brown hair cascading in locks of curls over her bronzed skin. The way her eyes lingered on her prince made your stomach lurch, that sort of forsaken romance was highly irritating. You turned your attention back to Thor, his blonde hair was perfectly straightened down his neck, his armor looked like it had just been polished, and someone had possibly greased up his muscles at the same time. You hadn’t taken much interest in the prince, you had seen him a few times passing through royal parties, but your attention was on very different people, he had nothing of interest for you so you had no reason to approach him. Standing before you he still looked the same as the last time, a bit more muscular but his eyes still shone with an immature mischief, he was a boy prince in a man’s body, not fit to rule a slug. 

You pulled your hood down, allowing yourself to be seen as you pushed yourself off the wall and began walking towards the entrance. You eyed Fandral; he had always reminded you of a tiny Thor. Though he was a great warrior, he was always making his way with maidens who were too shy or stupid to go after the prince himself. You wondered if he remembered your last encounter, you exchanged nothing but a glance and a threat, and he had probably assumed you were some sort of mistress, but as nothing had happened to you, you assumed he kept his mouth shut. You ignored the stares from Sif and the glances at your backside from her companions and made your way onto the bridge. The waves whipped at the water below you, the dark blue water calmed your racing heart as you walked towards the great land of Asgard.

“What is your reason for being here?” Sif called out behind you.

You grumbled to yourself and ignored her, quickening your pace as you were in no mood to deal with her or the oncoming questions you felt would follow her. You looked at the tiny spires of the palace and groaned, realizing how long this flattened out disco ball of a bridge actually was. You heard the footfalls of the group catching up to you, and had you been in the mood for it you could sprint ahead, but it was much too early for a run and you had nowhere else to go but forward. You saw a flash of blonde hair whizz past you and you ran smack into Thor’s hard chest. You cursed and rubbed your nose as it had made full contact with his breastplate, you could taste the metal from it on your tongue, or it was blood from the tooth you just knocked loose.

“Who are you?” Thor asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“A friend of your father’s” you said sarcastically.

Thor looked bewildered at the statement, his eyes roamed over your body before returning to your face.

“I have never seen you before” he said.

“I doubt you have seen most of your father’s friends,” you said pushing the prince aside.

Thor grasped your forearm lightly, pulling at you so you faced him again.

“Do you really want to walk the entire length of the bridge?” He asked smiling.  
You looked back at the bridge, already feeling exhaustion in your legs, and you turned begrudgingly to him and shook your head. Heimdall had seemingly read Thor’s mind as a two golden chariots approached, each being drawn by two black horses with sturdy legs and golden reins. You rolled your eyes at the amount of gold in this realm, but you allowed Thor to open the door and assist you into the plush carriage. You watched Sif from the corner of your eye; you could see the rage blazing off her skin as she stepped into the other chariot with the other men. You held down a laugh in your throat as you turned your attention towards the sea below you, watching the water glisten as the sun beat down on it, making it look like a thousand small crystals were floating atop it. 

“What is your name?” Thor said taking his seat across from you and signaling for the driver to take off.

“____” you said without looking away from the water.

“I am Thor, Prince of Asgard,” he said.

You looked up at him, though he was not fit to rule yet, you could see his genuine interest in you. His smile made his features light up even more and you could tell why Sif was so in love with him, at least by his looks. You had heard the stories of Thor, battling alongside his father, of his great strength and honor. You had also heard other stories, of his brother Loki; though you knew the truth behind Loki’s place in Asgard, from the rumors you had heard nobody else shared that burden but Odin and his queen. You bit your bottom lip as Heimdall faded away into the distance, you hadn’t really planned much out, but you never planned anything, and it seemed to be working well for you, so far.

“Are you of the royal family? I swear I know everyone until we throw a party and then I realize I can’t remember half the people there!” Thor said with a hearty laugh.

“I am just a friend” you said.

Thor’s smile faded as he looked at you, his brow furrowed, slightly irritated but you didn’t care. This man was of no use to you as a prince, and so he did not need to know anything about you. You shifted so your body faced the direction of the ocean, and you turned your head to look at the upcoming palace. You couldn’t look at Thor for too long, he looked a lot like Frigga but certain expressions he made looked exactly like Odin. Your body stiffened at the realization you would be seeing him soon, and though you had the upper hand, his scent still sent shivers down your spine. 

The gold towers of the Asgardian palace shot up into the sky, it was massive and bright like nothing you had ever seen. The multiple towers cascaded over the surrounding city, the view was breathtaking and caught you off guard leaving your mouth agape. You heard Thor chuckle behind you as you rode your way into the city, the people on the streets giving Thor a wave and you an odd glance. Some of the women seethed at your proximity to their prince, but you paid no mind to them, it was the random men you saw in the crowds that made your lung freeze up. It was their eyes, their mouths, their smiles and their avoidance of your face that made every nerve in your body go numb, and you gripped the sides of the chariot, trying to focus on the scenery instead. The winding roads to the palace went directly through the city, decorated with large trees and beautiful flowers; you could see a market, bustling with people laughing, children playing and the wide array of colorful fruit being sold from wooden stands.

The chariots came to a stop outside the palace door, they were huge and you had to crane your neck upward to see the end of them. Thor stepped in front of you and led you towards the entrance, the doors creaked open and again, your breath was taken from your lungs at the beauty of the palace. It seemed that everything was made of gold, the floor had golden patterns winding in and out of each room, the entrance hall was big enough to fit several villages inside, guards standing watch eyed you with curiosity as you followed Thor deeper into the room. 

“Have you seen the all father?” Thor asked a man in dark red robes whom was seated near the window with a book in his hand.

“I believe he’s in the throne room with your brother,” he said before turning his attention to you.

His jaw tightened and his eyes bulged, he nearly lost his book with how quickly he stood up. He bowed to Thor and made his way into a random corridor, his robes skidding across the tile as scurried away into the darkness. You smiled to yourself as you looked around more, the high ceilings made you dizzy as you looked up at them, the cool marble pillars looked like they were dusted with diamonds, and your footsteps echoed as Thor lead you to a winding staircase. 

“The throne room is up this way, I would allow you to go up by yourself but..” Thor trailed off, looking behind you at Sif, whom had followed you into the palace.

“It is alright if you don’t trust me, you may come” you said walking up the marble steps.

Thor opened his mouth to respond but you were already half way up the winding steps, the banister felt cold against your palms which had started to sweat. You needed to get this over with, and you hoped that Frigga was not also in the room. She had a soft spot for you, and it pained you to know that she knew about her husband’s past grievances, the burdens that woman kept to herself made you feel an odd connection with her. You had never met her, only seen her in passing as you left Odin’s quarters the last time you came to the palace when you had learned that the younger prince was not really a prince at all. You had never seen Loki now that you thought about it, you knew his description but the few parties you had attended, he had never been part of, and you assumed it all went in tow with living in the shadow of the King’s favorite.

Four armored soldiers stopped you at a large archway; they towered over you and had their hand on their swords until Thor emerged behind you, Sif in tow behind him. They looked at the prince quizzically before returning to their post and allowing you entrance. You stepped into the throne room and nearly doubled over in laughter, this room was even larger than the entrance hall and was practically empty, just the large golden throne of Asgard lay in the center, it seemed to be a an ode to his ego. His throne was lined with his few council members at his side; his attention was elsewhere when you walked up to him. Your heart was beginning to race as Odin’s face came into view, his beard was stark white in contrast to his king’s robes, and though it was late in the afternoon it seemed the King did not feel the need to dress in armor today. 

Thor stepped in front of you and knelt down, as did Sif, but you stood tall, hands at your sides and face rigid. You could see Odin’s vein throb in his head, his face looked like it was getting flush as he put his hand up at his councilman’s mouth and stood up forcefully. You both stared at each other like the long time rivals you were, all eyes were once again on you as you stepped forward, wrapping your hands behind your back. Thor and Sif stood, you saw out of the corner of your eye a few guards were stepping forward but Odin signaled them back to their post.

“Father, I have found a friend of yours,” Thor said.

You smirked as Odin’s face twisted as his eldest son spoke, you bit the inside of your cheek to keep from laughing out loud. The room was silent and tense, you waited for Odin to speak, or move, or do anything for that matter other than stare at you, horrified. 

You felt a pair of eyes on you that had a stronger presence than any you had felt in the palace, you scanned past the guards and up to Odin’s council members, noticing a tall man with sleeked black hair, staring at you. He had mesmerizing eyes, and his armor was dark green and gold, his skin was pale in comparison to Thor’s but his features were sharp, beautiful, and dominant. You hadn’t noticed him before, as he was hiding in the background near the throne, but now he stood out proudly, you had clearly gotten his attention. 

“What does a King do when the one who craves the throne is so..cold? you asked taking another step towards Odin. 

“What is it you need, my dear” Odin asked through his teeth.

You smiled and walked up the steps to the throne, causing a round of gasps and whispers to fill the room. Nobody ever got this close to the King apparently, and you felt a rush of adrenaline as you made your way towards him. Your skin began to crawl as his features stood out, the wrinkles on his forehead were brimmed with sweat, the scent of metal wafted into your nose and you pushed back the memories of him on top of you. You needed to keep your upper hand, or else everything would go to shit and god knows what would happen to you. You stopped two feet from him; it was the closest you could get without going at his throat with your knife. You forced yourself to lock your knees in place to keep them from buckling under you, but letting your eyes waver to his left to eye Loki again. His eyes were still fixated on you, his head cocked to the side in amusement, and you saw Thor’s reflection in Odin’s throne behind him, he was fixated on you too. 

“I am in need of a place to stay for awhile, if you would be so kind to help me out. I would surely appreciate it” you said smoothly.

You had a knack for making your voice sound like music to men’s ears, years of practice in seduction bode you well in situations like these. Odin pushed his lips together, grinding his teeth as he forced a smile on his face.

“Of course, I will have the servants set up a room for you in the palace.” He said, waving one of the guards over. 

You said nothing as you turned around and walked down the steps, your legs felt numb, like you were floating, and you tried to breathe normally as you made the way to the exit. You winked at Sif as you walked past her; if looks could kill you would be a pile of dust at her feet.

“You must bow to your king” said a guard from the sideline.

“I bow to no one” you shot back. 

The silence that followed you was almost euphoric, nobody knew how to react, but as you made your way back down the marble steps you could have sworn you heard a stifled groan coming from the lips of a very rebellious prince.


	2. Maze

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had some extra time today. *dances*

You could hear Sif’s shoes clattering down the stairs after you, you half expected Thor’s hammer to come flying at the back of your head. Your long skirt swished down the marble stairs behind you, you weren’t entirely sure where you were going, you figured you had some time before you room was ready, which left you ample time to spy on the new council members Odin had appointed. You were about to fling your hood up when the clattering of Sif’s armor caused you to spin around, she was directly behind you with her sword drawn at her side. You cocked an eyebrow and looked at her weapon; it was marvelous, completely useless against you, but a lovely blade nonetheless.

“What is it, woman?” you asked with a sigh.

“What are you really here for, ____” she asked.

You rolled your eyes and waved your hand at her as Loki and Thor bounded down the stairs in unison. You turned and began walking again, running your hands down the end of your cape, feeling the decorative stitching at the side, this had belonged to your father, it was the one gift that Thanos had never found, you never knew who brought you all the gifts on your birthday over the years, but they had stopped once Thanos sold you to the captors of Volgard, and you wondered how nobody else knew about the small planet on the outskirts of Midgard. You looked to your left and saw a long hallway with a tall, statuesque iron gate that led outside to the garden and decided that you would like to roam outside without actually leaving the palace; you weren’t ready for the stares again. 

“Are you after the throne? If it is the prince you seek you have come to the wrong-“ Sif was now speaking in a hush tone, trying to keep up with you.

 

“Is that what this is about? You think I’m after your prince?” you seethed, turning around to face her.

She stepped in front you, she was a few inches taller than you were so her nose was hovering above your eyes, she smelled of sweat and sweet perfume, her hair was matted to her neck and her armor looked untouched by sword or man. You looked past her shoulder to see Thor and Loki standing side by side, Thor had his arms crossed, waiting for a rebuttal from his friend. Loki stood with his chin cocked upwards, his hands were behind his back and his eyes gleamed with mischief and amusement. 

“I warn you ___, do not-“ Sif started again but she was cut short by your hand at her throat.

A red aura glistened off your body as you spun her around by her neck and slammed her into the wall, the marble cracked and ruptured under the strength of your swing and Sif’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head.

“I am not you Sif, my eyes do not wander to whom I cannot have. Clearly the throne and the prince is what you’re after, not me. I do not want the throne, and by the way he looks past you every time you bat your eyes you clearly do not have that outcome in your future. I spared your life once, Sif. Do not make me regret it” you seethed, pressing your face directly to hers before kissing her cheek and releasing her to the floor.

She coughed and grasped at her throat trying to suck in as much air as she could, her legs sprawled out like a rag doll as she looked at the floor, blood rushing to her cheeks. Thor stood with his mouth hanging open for a few seconds while he registered what happened while Loki stood unmoving other than the look in his eyes seemed to be of pure lust. You heard someone clear their throat and saw Odin standing behind his two sons; he looked at the wall then at Sif before signaling for one of his maids to clean up the rubble on the floor. Thor turned to his father in confusion, everyone was staring at Odin, expecting some sort of reaction to your brutality, but he said nothing as he turned and walked down one of the many hallways without a word. 

You turned on your heel and walked down the corridor towards the garden before Thor could start asking questions, you assumed Loki wouldn’t be interested in your story like his brother. As you approached the iron gate your eyes grew wide at the sight beyond its bars, the garden was beautiful, its lush green hedges created a fenced maze around the multiple flowers that danced in the light wind. Yellows, pinks and purples greeted you as you pushed open the heavy gate, the scent of wildflowers wafted into your nose, the cobblestone path was brushed with bits of light green grass, and wild rose bushes huddled together in a row against the grey brick wall separating the outside city from the quiet garden. You let the door close behind you as you walked down the path, unclasping your cape and draping it over your forearm. You let the sun beat down on your shoulders and chest, the crop top you donned was perfect for the summer, the black fabric attracted the warmth of the sun, wrapping around your chest and fastening over your right shoulder, leaving the left bare and sun kissed. 

“It’s beautiful isn’t it? One of my favorite places to be” said a soft voice to your left.

Frigga walked from the shadows of a large fruit-baring tree across the oval shaped pond a few feet ahead of you, small birds chirped from the branches of the smaller trees surrounding it, lily pads with tiny gold frogs floated peacefully in the center of the clear water. You smiled and walked towards the water, feeling the plush grass tickle your ankles, you knelt down to drag your finger along the water, watching the rivets distort your reflection.

“Is everything in the kingdom made of gold?” you asked pointing to the small frogs.

“It does seem like that doesn’t it?” Frigga said making her ways towards you.

You turned your head to look at her, she was wearing a light blue dress, it seemed to match the color of the sky, and her hair rested on her shoulder in a simple braid with white flowers intertwining between her sandy locks. You rose to your feet but could not bring yourself to look her in the eye, out of all the wives you had met; she was the only one to treat you like a person. She stopped in front of you, her elegant fingers reaching to your chin to bring your gaze to her, your eyes met with her kind ones, causing a burning sensation to reach your throat.

“Are you in danger?” she asked concerned.

“Aren’t I always?” you responded, giving her a cheshire smile. 

“My dear, you may stay here as long as you wish. Though I would advise not riling up the throne room like you just did,” she said.

You sucked your lips in as she ran her finger down your cheek, pushing a strand of hair behind your ear.

“How do you stay with him?” you blurted out.

Frigga’s hand dropped and you instantly regretted opening your mouth, her face contorted into sadness mixed with anger before it softened again. You opened your mouth to speak but she stopped you with her hand, patting your lips lightly before turning towards the tree behind her, beckoning you to follow her.

“Your mouth truly gets you into unneeded trouble” she sang as she walked.

You mumbled an incoherent apology, following her footsteps towards the base of the tree. You didn’t notice before, but it looked similar to the apple trees they had on Midgard, the long branches stemmed out past the palace wall, bountiful with green leaves and families of tiny red birds, nesting their eggs and chirping a happy song.

“Is this an apple tree?” you asked standing on your tiptoes and touching a bright red apple.

“It is. Odin brought me one from his travels, and I loved it so much I made him return and get me seeds so I could have my own” she said turning to face you again.

“I did not mean to cause you pain” you said, running your hands through your hair and staring at the grass beneath your feet.

“You do not cause me pain. I stand by my decisions, though my husband has made grave mistakes before we married, I stay loyal, and try to right his wrongs from behind the curtain.” She said grabbing an apple from a small, woven basket at the base of the tree; it was nearly overflowing with bright red apples. 

You took the apple from her hand, biting into it timidly, as you had never had such a fruit before. You smiled at the taste; the juice was sweet as it coated your lips and tongue. You smiled happily, digging your teeth into the white center, a drop of juice dripping down your chin. Frigga lifted her hand to you, wiping the juice from your chin and you felt your heat rising in your cheeks.

“I know all you seek is protection, but I beg of you, please do not tell my son what you know” Frigga pleaded.

“I never planned on it. Odin would have no reason to help me then” you said winking at Frigga as you walked towards the pond again.

“I would never allow him to kick you out, no matter what secrets you told.” She said into your ear.

You shivered as she walked towards the gate, her dress fluttering around her ankles, she looked perfect, like a proper queen. You ran your fingers through your tangled hair, pulling your hair forward in your fingers to look at the knotted mess. You really needed a shower, and a loud grumble came from your stomach as you finished the apple, apparently you needed to eat something more too. You chucked the remaining core of the apple over the wall, seeing a flash of green race behind you as you turned.

“How long have you been there?” you asked trying untangling the hair you caught on your fingers.

“Long enough to notice how my mother dotes on you, why is that?” Loki asked, taking his hands and untangling your hair from your knuckles.

You looked up into his face, his raven hair fell perfectly down the back of his neck, and he had removed his armor so that only his black and green attire hugged at his body, outlining the muscles in his arms and shoulders. He was not brawny like Thor; he was thin but chiseled, like a marble statue. His cheekbones looked like they could cut glass, if his gaze did not pierce through it first. You let him untangle your hair; his fingers crept around your knuckles as the last of the few strands fell down your shoulders, his fingertips danced down to your wrist before releasing you.

“As I told your brother, I am a family friend,” you said taking a step back from him.

“No you’re not” he said taking a step towards you.

“Does perfect hair and lack of respect for personal space run in your family?” you asked placing your hands on his chest and pushing him back.

He laughed at your musings, and you felt your heart skip a beat, his smile was as breathtaking as the realm in which he wished to rule. You looked past him, noticing the hedges grew in stature, rising nearly as high as the wall, it was a maze, and you loved a challenge. You sidestepped the emerald prince and made your way towards the hedges, the sun was getting further away as you stopped at the entrance. The hedges looked freshly cut and smelled of lavender, you gripped onto your cape, wondering if you should leave it somewhere or risk having it get caught on a bush.

“I will hold your cape, if you would like to try your hand at the maze” Loki’s voice melted its way into your ear.

“I think not” you said reclosing it under your chin and letting it fall back down to its rightful place.

“Are you joining me?” you asked the prince.

He smiled again and you had to turn forward so that he would not see how red your cheeks were becoming, he could do so much to you in such a small amount of time. You began walking into the maze, the grass had become worn from so much foot traffic that wet dirt began flinging up behind you and sticking to your boots. As you made your way around the winding paths, choosing to turn left so you faced the side of the palace, two large, circular towers gleamed under the fading sun, you saw a large window at the very top, its glass flung open from the sides. You couldn’t see much, but your ears perked up as the faint sound of familiar grunts whizzed down from the window, it sounded like you had found your first secret.

“That’s Daggen’s room” said a voice.

You jumped at the proximity of Loki’s presence; you felt his chest at your back and a hand fall onto your shoulder, caressing your neck with the pad of his finger. You turned to face him, having to look upwards at him as he towered over you, much like everyone did. You bit your bottom lip, standing on your tiptoes so that you were nearly eye-level, and you let your lips hover above his. His eyes fell to your pouted bottom lip; you could hear his pulse rise, he placed a hand on your lower back to bring your body closer. You pressed your nose onto his, you felt his hot breath on your mouth, and he leaned in to close the gap between your lips.

“Too easy” you whispered, smiling against his lips and pulling yourself back. 

To your surprise, he laughed, a little more darkly than before and his deepened voice sent a shiver down your spine. You turned to look back up at the tower, scanning for a way to get to the window. You knew you would get lost trying to get there from the inside, that palace had more twists and turns than any you had ever seen, but you needed to spy on someone, the boredom you felt was killing you, and the prince had played too easily into your hand.

“My dear, you are something,” Loki said strolling past you.

“How can I get up there?” you asked racing after him.

Loki stopped, pivoting to face you with an eyebrow arched; he looked up at the window then back at you. 

“Why?” he asked, clasping his hands behind his back.

“Collateral” you replied.

“Is that it then? You have something on my father,” Loki said cocking his head.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about” you replied with a grin.

You turned to look past him, seeing a small clearing leading to the right facing the wall. You stepped past him, feeling his eyes on you as you walked to the clearing. You felt his hand encircle your wrist and yank you the opposite way, nearly dragging you behind him. 

“What are you doing?” you asked trying not to trip over yourself.

“If you want to get up there, you’ll need to get out of the maze. By the look of it, that could take you hours. And I do not have the patience for that.” He growled.


	3. Secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is all about Loki & You, promise!

The Asgardian sun beat down on your bare skin as if it was ten feet away from you; you had to keep wiping your palms on your skirt so you wouldn’t slip off the roof you were dangling from. You scowled at the man below you, who was watching your every move as if it were a circus act. Loki had shown you how to get up to the long stables directly behind the group of towers, from there you could scale the spiraling tower rooftops as they ascended, though he forgot to mention that the towers were sleek and lacked stone or brick to grab, and that the stable roof was about twenty feet below the first tower you needed to climb. You gritted your teeth and tried to block out his singsong voice as he spoke to you from the ground.

“My darling, do you need help?” he rang.

“Fuck. You.” You scowled.

“Now now dear, is that anyway to speak to your prince?” he asked tilting his head up to catch your eyes.

“If your father is not my king, then you are by no means my prince” you said turning your attention back to the matter at hand.

The stable itself was of simple design, it was a single story structure with an open-faced exterior, great horses all the color of the night sky lazily grazing on hay or lying lethargically under the shade the roof provided. It was easy to step up on one of the swinging doors, pull yourself up and walk along the tiles of the pitched roof. It wasn’t until you stopped to look at the strikingly smooth outside of the tower did you realize you had no idea how to get up there. Instead of opting for another approach, like taking Loki’s offer to help you through the inside of the castle, you puffed your chest and allowed your pride to lead you. Which is how you ended up dangling from the roof of the first tower, your spare daggers had dug deep into the wall of the tower, allowing you to scale it like a mountain with just the strength of your arms, which was your first mistake.

Your legs dangled idly as you ran through different scenarios in your head, but your arm strength did not match the power your legs and core had, it was a plight of being an assassin, your arms did nothing much other than block and throw blades. You felt your fingers slipping as the beating sun rose higher in the sky, you needed to wipe your palms again but you felt if you let go you wouldn’t have the strength to hold yourself up by one arm like you had been. You looked at your position again and an idea suddenly popped into your head. You quickly pushed the tip of your boot into your other boot above the heel, slipping the first one off after a few moments of tugging it down, then took your bare foot and pushed your remaining boot off, watching them both tumble into the grass. 

Your tight-like socks came off easily, and the breathable fabric had kept your feet from being affected by the heat. You inhaled through your nose and swung your lower body forward, planting the bottoms of your feet on the hot metal, feeling the fire-like ache lick at the arches of your feet. You pushed yourself upwards with all your might, and to your relief you were able to get enough of a push to raise your chest over the roof. You bent forward and laid your upper body on the tiles, grasping tightly around the stone roof, letting your body rest a little before pulling yourself all the way up. You turned your body and sat atop the shortest tower at the back of the castle, smiling proudly at your accomplishment.

Loki was staring at you with his hands behind his back, his hair stuck to the sides of his neck from the sweat that had pooled there; his lips had curved in a tight smile, almost invisible to the naked eye. You cocked your eyebrow at him and swung your arms out proudly before ducking your head in a slight bow. 

“Loki, mother would like to speak to you” Thor’s voice boomed from below.

Loki turned towards his brother, taking a quick glance up at you before striding off with him. You watched Thor’s body sway with ease while Loki always seemed to be taking small steps so that he was behind him, like a puppy following his master. You could tell that the frost giant was about to break, everything seemed to revolve around his brother, and you hadn’t the faintest idea why Odin ever saved him. It wasn’t as if he had wiped out Loki’s race, he could have lived happily in a world that would have loved him, instead of being left behind in a family that seemed resentful. You shook your head of your current thoughts, and turned to face the tower in front of you. It was also at least a ten-foot climb and you sighed, gripping your blades between your palms and taking a running start at the tower.

\----------

It had taken longer than you had hoped to reach Daggen’s room, and you had hoped that he was still continuing his antics. Thankfully, someone was looking out for you today, as soon as you snaked your way up to the roof you could hear the pitiful moans echoing from his open window. A very bold move to keep it open, for the entire castle to hear had anyone been paying attention. You laid on your stomach and hung your head down facing the open window, it was a about a foot lower than the roof and your hair dangled in front of it. You inched yourself lower silently until your eyes crept over the top of the window and you tried to hold in a gasp as the scene before you was quiet shocking.

You hadn’t seen Daggen in the throne room with Odin, but from his chambers and insignia on his robes that lay askew on the floor, he was a very high-ranking general and someone whom Odin must use to discuss war strategies. The room was lit brightly by the peaking sun, the bed was large enough to fit five people on but its curtains were drawn so that only a sliver of the inside shown. It creaked and groaned with the weight of the bodies on top of it, you could see Daggen’s long, white braid of hair flipping in and out of view, the shadows cast clearly on the thin drapery of the bed, two bodies moving in sync with one another, two bodies that both belonged to men.  
As far as you knew, the love between the same sex was nothing in Asgard, but when a married general took on a male lover, a servant of the palace, that was something he nor Odin would want getting out. Especially since this boy could barely be considered a man, his tight skin brimmed with sweat; he had hair the color of deep chocolate and the way he called on his lover made it clear this had been going on for a while. You decided that it was enough of a show for today, but you needed to make your presence known. You flipped yourself upwards, rising to your knees and pushing your legs forward so they dangled over the edge. You slipped yourself down, letting your bare feet land quietly on the marble windowsill before crouching down to sit on the ledge, leaning your back against the side of the window.

You turned your head away from the bed and instead took in the breathtaking view of Asgard. You ran your fingers along the cape at your sides before throwing the hood over your head, causing your entire body to blend in with the surrounding area. If one of the men in the room where to look at the window all they would see was the crystal sky against the beautiful cityscapes dotted along the land. You truly loved Asgard; it was one of your favorite places to hide. 

The creaking of the bed ceased as Daggen pushed the boy away from him, sitting on the edge of the bed silently. You turned your head and watched the two, the boy made his way off the bed on shaking legs, grabbing his servants’ uniform from a pile on the floor. He looked longingly at Daggen whom was now standing up and heading towards the bathroom. He didn’t even bother to look as he shut the door, the sound of water began to flood the room, and the poor servant looked sadly out the window, tears brimming in his eyes. Your heart felt like it dropped into your stomach, anger began to swell inside you and you had half a mind to slash this man’s throat out of spite. The dark-haired boy had beautiful hazel eyes, the color of honey and with lashes that went on for days. You gripped the edge of your blade, trying to force the feelings that began bubbling up to go back down and stay there. With a heavy sigh, he turned towards the door and exited, a feeling of despair following him as he disappeared into the hallway.

You threw your cape off your head as you heard the water stop, pulling your legs and crossing them underneath you while pulling out your largest blade from the strap on your thigh. You played with the edge, pressing it on your fingertip while you waited for the door to open, the silver shone brightly in the sunlight; you had polished it to perfection before you had arrived. The bathroom door creaked open, the pot-bellied man grabbed a robe that was strewn across a chair, as he pulled it over his body he looked at the small mirror to his right and his eyes grew wide. He spun around quickly, mouth agape as he reached for his weapon on the side of the bed.

“Ah ah ah, I just want to talk” you said waving your finger.

His sword flung to the ceiling along with every other weapon he had hiding in his room. He stared in awe at the red aura that surrounded them all, glowing brightly like a cherry colored fire. He gulped and turned towards his door, as soon as he reached for the handle he yelled in pain, the smell of burn skin and metal wavered around the room.

“Are you quiet finished?” you asked annoyed.

Daggen turned towards you holding his hand close to his chest, his nostrils flared as he stood staring at your figure in the window.

“Who are you? What do you want?” he asked shakily.

“To let you know, that I know your secret. Whatever I need, you will do it, whenever I need it. You will tell no one, or I will tell everyone. Understood?” you said turning your blade over in your hand.

“Odin will-“ 

“Odin will do nothing. I am the King’s guest, and you are under his command. You could tell him all the lies in the world about me, and I will still remain in this castle as long as I please.” You quipped, kicking your legs out from under you.

“What do you want from me?” He asked falling to his knees.

“Allow Loki to command your infantry” you replied.

“Is that who sent you, the forgotten prince?” he scoffed.

You flung yourself at him, pinning him down and shoving your dagger into his cheek so deep it hit a tooth. He howled in pain trying to knock you off him but his hands and legs were bound to the ground by the same aura, singing through his robes quickly. You growled at him, scraping your blade along his tooth as you spoke.

“I belong to no one. I am simply giving the prince a chance, as an act of kindness. Don’t want to send so much negativity and hate out into the world, you know?” you said smiling.

He nodded his head as blood trickled down from his impalement. You removed your blade and wiped the blood off on his robe, rising to your feet and walking towards the window. You released the hold on his arms and legs, pulling yourself onto the edge and sitting with your back facing the outside. You gave a quick wink before falling backwards out the window, flipping yourself so you landed on your feet in the plush grass.

“That was a neat trick” Thor said from behind you.

You stood up, dusting yourself off and slipped the blade back into its holster, throwing your skirt around it as you spun around to face him. Thor stood near the edge of the bond with a smile on his face, his defined arms were folded over his chest as he strode towards you.

“What exactly were you doing up there?” he asked pointing towards the tower.

“Visiting and old friend” you said turning and walking towards the iron gate.

“You seem to have a lot of friends” Thor said following you.

“I’m a friendly person” you shot back.

“You are very bold to defy the all father” he said pressing his hand on your shoulder.

You turned to face him, your eyes fluttered between his hand his lips and you teetered awkwardly on one foot.

“There are many things parents keep from their children” you said.

Thor looked at you quizzically, his hand rested on your shoulder still as his eyebrows furrowed. He looked like he had a million thoughts running through his head, he bit his bottom lip before he spoke again.

“I have traveled many realms and spoken with many soldiers” he stated, averting his eyes to the floor.

Your stomach felt like it was doing flips while being lit on fire, your nerves were standing on edge as his words sank in. He was more or less telling you he knew, or had at least heard rumors about you. You weren’t entirely sure what to make of this, as you had never considered that men talked about that sort of thing. You wiggled your toes suddenly remembering you had kicked off your shoes and had yet to retrieve them. You pushed past the prince, seeing them both sitting together by a shrub.

“On behalf of the Asgardian army, I am deeply sorry” you heard him say.

You wanted to speak but your mouth was frozen shut, a shiver shot down your spine, leaving you melted to the spot at which you stood. There was uncomfortable silence followed by the sound of creaking metal and the swishing of fabric. You turned to see a small maid had appeared, she bowed to Thor as he gave you an apologetic look before exiting through the gate. You forced yourself to move your legs, running to grab your shoes as the maid followed you.

“Your chambers are ready m’lady, and the queen would like you to know you are welcome to join them for dinner in the great hall” she said her eyes still facing the floor.

You smiled wirily, slipping your shoes on and following the small maid through the gate into the castle.


	4. Stalker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is it horrible that I love making Loki so sexually frustrated in this story?

You ran your wet hands through your hair, using your nails to scrape lightly against your scalp, sighing in happiness. Hot water fell from the showerhead above like a decadent waterfall, you craned your head back so that the drops found their way down your neck and chest, soothing your sore muscles from the strain they had endured earlier. You reached for the soap resting in the carved shelf of the shower wall, even the bathroom had been overloaded in elegance. The walls were made of white marble with gold flakes spread out lavishly, the shower doors were made of glass so beautiful and clear you could have sworn they were really made of diamonds. You ran the soap over your aching shoulders and arms, sliding it around your navel before stopping at your hipbones, turning your attention to the figure leaning languidly against the open arch of the bathroom entrance. You turned your body towards the wall so only your bare back and ass showed, and continued washing your dirt and sweat caked body.

“Voyeurism isn’t proper for a prince, now is it?” you asked placing the soap back on the shelf.

“I believe you need to be doing something else with your hands for it to be voyeurism, my pet” he chuckled, turning his head to face you.

“You interrupted me” you said letting your hands run down your sides to your lower back, giving the knotted muscles much needed attention.

“My apologies, pet” he replied stepping towards the glass.

Instinctively you moved yourself forward, your chest was nearly touching the cold marble of the shower wall, the water was barely hitting you now. You shivered at his presence as he stopped a foot away from the glass shower, admiring your body from afar. You cleared your throat and reached for the gold knob to turn the water off; crossing your arms over your bare chest, going over the multiple ways you could hide yourself until you reached the robe hanging on the wall.

“Do you need something, Loki” you snarled.

“Now pet, no need to get nasty. My mother would like me to send you a formal invitation to the party tonight.” He said with a pearly smile.

“So then why didn’t you just wait until I was finished” you shot back, turning ever so slightly to glare at him.

What had been meant as a glare turned into a swift snap of warmth flooding to your cheeks, the way he was staring at you made you feel insecure, a feeling you were not familiar with nor did you enjoy it. You tried to keep your eyes from wandering down his toned body, but you found yourself staring directly at the bulge in his pants. You forced your gaze back to his face in time to catch the smirk that danced on his lips while he chuckled at you, his arm extended forward with a plush, white robe in his hands. You slid the glass door open with one hand and ripped it out of his hands, turning to face the wall again as you wrapped the soft fabric around you.

“Because I am the God of Mischief, my pet” he said as he placed his hands behind his back and turned on his heel, exiting the room.

“STOP CALLING ME PET!” you yelled after him.

You exited the shower, flustered but clean. You placed your feet on the strangely warm tile, wiggling your toes before you padded into the main room. Butterflies seemed to have made a new home in your stomach, the beauty of this palace always left you speechless, though you dare not let Odin see that. You scanned the room, taking in the beauty with a happy sigh. When you were younger you had always dreamed of living in such a divine setting, your daydreams are what kept you alive for so long, ignoring the pain and insufferable smell of the men that used your body, you made sure your mind stayed sharp and strong while you willed your body to go limp and numb. You made your way towards the large vanity, running your fingertips along the silver painted stone, polished and perfectly shaped. A large, oval mirror that nearly reached the ceiling was attached to it, giving you a full body view of yourself.

You turned to each side, examining yourself in the snow-white robe that enclosed your body, running your hands down your front and to your thighs, massaging them gently with your fingertips. You were sore from climbing, the shower had helped but now the healing powers of warm water were slowly fading away and the large four-poster bed looked more inviting than food. You were about to disrobe when you heard a faint knocking at the door, and a soft voice came through the large double doors.

“M’lady, I have some food to tide you over till dinner. May I come in?” squeaked the small maid from before.

“Uh..yes?” you stuttered.

You weren’t used to this treatment at all, it felt uncomfortable but far in the back of your mind you felt you deserved it. The maid scurried in quickly with a silver tray covered in small plates with assorted, colorful looking food. She set the tray down on the vanity, grabbing the small metal teakettle to pour the steaming liquid into a gold teacup. She turned to you and stood with her feet together and hands clasped at her middle, she seemed just as uncomfortable as you were. You both stood in silence for a few moments before she spoke up.

“Do you need anything else?” she asked softly.

“Oh, I don’t believe so. What time is dinner?” you asked moving towards the array of food.

“Dinner will be served at seven, but the King likes to have everyone in the grand hall at six-thirty so drinks may be served beforehand” she replied.

“Of course he does” You scoffed as you inhaled a large, cake like dessert, spilling crumbs all over your robe. 

“Anything else?” she asked again

“No, you may go. Thank you” you said with a smile.

She bowed and exited the door, closing it lightly while you tried everything on the plates. You brought the golden teacup to your lips between bites of food, forgetting it was hot and nearly burning the inside of your throat. Whatever she had poured you was divine, it tasted like raspberries and honey and it made the pain in your limbs dissipate with each sip. 

After you had cleaned off the entire tray, you stacked the plates neatly on top of each other and pushed them to the edge of the vanity. You saw your skirt and top laid out neatly on the lavender colored bedspread, your shoes were sitting next to a pair of black heels on the floor at the foot of the lavish bed. You eyed the heels confused, until you looked at the golden divider on the opposite side of the bed. A simple, black dress hung from it, it looked sleek and would hug your curves perfectly. You wondered if it was the Queen or Loki who made this choice, as you walked towards it the sun reflected off the side and it changed into a deep emerald color. You rolled your eyes as you snatched it off the divider and laid it on the bed next to your usual attire. It was gorgeous, tight enough to make any man stop in his tracks, but elegant enough to leave other women whispering your name in vein.

You threw on your top and pulled your skirt up; swishing it around your middle to make sure it still fit since you felt bloated from the pounds of food you just ate. You pulled your boots on, hopping over to the vanity to pick up a silver hairbrush that had been laid out next to three small bottles, all containing different colored liquid. You ran the brush through your hair, throwing it up into a messy bun to keep it from sticking to your neck, and exited into the quiet hallway.

Your shoes clicked on the marble floor of the castle, you hadn’t really paid attention to how you got up to your room, just blindly followed the maid until you nearly smacked into her when she stopped. Now you regretted that decision greatly, you were like a confused mouse in a giant maze. You wandered the halls aimlessly, looking out through various windows trying to find some sense of direction. You went down about three flights of stairs, back up two, and then found yourself going down one that just seemed to spiral downwards until you found yourself back where you had started. You threw your hands up in the air and sank to the floor, lying on your back and muttering to yourself.

“Lost, dove?” 

Loki appeared, hovering over you with a lopsided smiled. You gritted your teeth and fought the urge to pull him down by his hair.

“This place needs a tour guide and a help desk” you said pushing yourself up to a sitting position.

“Help desk?” Loki asked tilting his head.

“Nothing, never mind. What the fuck is the point of that spiral staircase?” you asked pointing behind you.

“What staircase?” Loki asked a little too happily.

You looked behind you and were met with nothing but solid wall. Your mouth fell open as your blood began heating up, making your cheeks turn as crimson as the rug beneath you. You shot up and tackled the prince, slamming in on his back and pinning him with your legs. He let out a hearty laugh before he disintegrated into nothingness and you felt the itchy fabric from the rug on your knees. You blinked, astounded at the empty space before you.

“I told you dove, God of Mischief” he whispered in your ear.

You turned around and saw nothing except the emptiness of the corridor that surrounded you. Disheveled and irritated you rose to your feet and began walking back towards the door you had came from, trying to ignore the blistering feeling that someone was following you. You looked behind you a couple of time and saw nothing, so you increased your paced, determined to find some sort of familiar spot in this ridiculous palace.

\-------------

After about twenty minutes of quiet wandering you found your way to the center of the palace where servants and maids were decorating for the party. Apparently you were in the chamber wing of the palace, guests stayed on the fourth floor while the prince’s had their own opposing rooms on the sixth floor, and the king and queen stayed on the opposite side of the palace in the single highest tower that looked over Asgard. You paused to look at the great hall; it was as big as the throne room, which you had discovered was directly two floors above you, as you had been giving menacing looks from the guards as you passed it on your way down. 

“So what is on the floor above us?” you asked one of the servants who was walking by you with a large basket full of flowers.

“The library” she called turning her head over her shoulder as she scurried away from you.

You smiled from ear to ear, finally something other than secrets that peaked your interest. You ran towards the stairway to your left, skirt fluttering around your ankles as you jolted up the steps, skipping some out of excitement. You nearly stumbled into the archway of the large library, wanting to fall to your knees in its glory. It was a large, rectangular room with high ceilings and two large skylights allowing natural light to illuminate the whole room. Dark oak bookshelves lined the walls, stacking so high they nearly reached the top. They towered over you as you walked past them in awe, books of all different colors lined perfectly along the shelves, some bindings tight and new while others looked worn and dusty. 

You walked to the center of the room, closed your eyes and spun in three circles before stopping, walking forward with your arm extended until your fingertips touched a dusty book. You pulled it forward and opened your eyes; your heart pounded in your chest like it was trying to escape as you opened the cover. The book was almost the size of your torso, the paper was thin and a faded yellow, a single red word seemed to pulsate at you from the first page.

‘Thanos’ you read to yourself, trying not to shake.

“Very interesting Titan, don’t really understand his train of thought though.” The familiar voice that had been plaguing you all day ran through your ears.

“Don’t you have anything better to do?” you asked closing the book and placing it tight against your chest.

“You interest me, little dove” said the prince as you turned to face him.

“Am I no longer your pet?” you asked sarcastically. 

“I recall you asking me to stop calling you that” he said raising his eyebrow.

“I wasn’t aware you listened to others” you quipped.

Loki took long strides, circling you, eyeing your body up and down before stopping in front of you and placing his hand on the book. He ran his middle finger down the bind and under the bottom, his skin felt cold to the touch as it ghosted over your forearm. You shivered unintentionally, pulling the book closer to you in defense.

“Are you going to read that?” he asked pulling his hand back.

“Is it just about Thanos? I wasn’t aware he needed his own book” you muttered.

“It is about his affair with the mistress of death, his obsession with her and how he destroyed his own people. I find him to be quiet a bore, if I’m being honest” he said placing his hands behind his back.

You fidgeted at his words; Loki had not heard the stories about your, or else this would be an entirely different conversation. Perhaps that was why you were such an interested for him, maybe it was the chase he enjoyed, or maybe he thought you had been untouched by any other man, and he felt the need to be the first. However, from the rumors you had heard the prince did not like to take common whores into his bed with him; however he did enjoy the company of the well-paid escorts. You felt your heartbeat in your throat and wondered if you would have been one of the women he would have enjoyed had he been in battle years and years ago.

You turned away from him, pushing the book back into its crevice of a home and walked to the opposite side of the room, collecting a book about gardening and flopping down on a wooden seat facing the prince. You opened the large, green book and began reading about the various ways to prepare your soil, depending on what you were planting and the placement of the sun.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” asked Loki.

“What?” you snapped, not bothering to look up from your book.

“In the tower, did you find what you were looking for?” he responded, his voice getting deeper as his patience with you thinned.

“Yes” you said with a smirk.

“Care to tell?” he asked sliding into the seat next to yours.

You looked up and were caught in his mesmerizing gaze. His eyes portrayed every emotion he ever felt, not matter how rigid the rest of his face was. Curiosity danced in his pupils, something warm and dominant raged as he leaned in closer to you, bumping his nose against yours while a single finger roamed its way from your neck to your collarbone. You felt your nerves electrify under his touch, you tried to tear your eyes away from his but they were locked onto his for what felt like an eternity.

“Hmm? I’m waiting dove” he whispered.

You felt your body lean closer to him, you felt out of control and a sudden wave of panic washed over you. You stood up so rapidly you knocked into his jaw with your shoulder, nearly causing you to drop to your knee in agony. You winced and grabbed onto your shoulder as you quickly scurried out of the library and into the corridor, slamming your back up against the wall. The stone was cold and calming as you tried to regain your breathing, your lungs felt like they were filling with water and choking you from the inside as you struggled to breathe evenly. You waited for Loki to follow you, but nothing except silence came from the archway. You looked at the fading sun from the window and turned towards the stairs, deciding if you were going to use the party to your full advantaged you needed to get yourself together.


	5. Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much fluff my heart almost exploded.

You had been standing at the far entrance of the hall for god knows how long, chants and cheers echoed into your ears from the happy patrons, servants whisked around large plates of food and potent wine made from the fresh garden fruits. Your skin prickled at the sound of his voice, Odin’s voice always carried, heavy set and endearing when he spoke of his past battles. You weren’t nervous about seeing him, oh no, it was his adopted son that gave your stomach a twist. It was like a thunderstorm in your head when he was around, the plights of your heart long forgotten; until his eyes hit you and it quaked so loud it jump-started your heart.

Nervous, light headed, dizzy and sweaty palms plagued you since you had arrive here, with all your might you fought it, hated it, and planned to win against it until the day you died. After the stint in the library you had put your bold face on, choosing to wear the gown that had been laid out for you, mocking obedience so that maybe Loki would grow bored and move on from you. The palace was filled with maidens willing to gurgle his cock for a mere glimpse into the royal world, surely he would find someone else to fill his sexual urges. You swallowed hard and entered through the archway, huge candles standing ten feet tall were illuminating the four long tables, giving guests ample view of their friends beside them. It smelled heavily of glazed meat and freshly baked bread, a small band of men playing odd-looking instruments strummed in front of the tables.

You looked around at the dance floor, spotting Odin and Frigga in the midst of a dance, gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes, as if nobody else was in the room. You shuddered and moved towards one of the small maids carrying a large round serving tray full of goblets, wrapping your palm around the huge cup and pouring the liquid down your throat. The fabric against your legs swished with your movement as you made your way between the crowds; you spotted Sif with her warrior men sitting at the table closest to the band, happily fawning over Thor as she spilled her wine over the table. Thor caught your glance and gave you smile, Sif followed his gaze and nearly choked on her bread.

You nodded at them and turned your attention back towards Odin and Frigga. For the life of you, you could have never pictured this man being attentive and loving, it seemed as though his queen had softened his hard exterior, though the glowing anger in his eyes still lingered there when he spoke. More specifically, when he spoke to Loki. You glanced around the hall again, taking in the decorative style of the queen, there were roses everywhere, their petals scattered along the tables and the dance floor. White lace ran along the length of the tables, catching spilled food and drink in their threads while the pale moon shone brightly from the balcony on the opposite side of the grand hall. You cocked your head as you began walking towards a large turkey twice the size of your head, feeling the familiar twinge of being watched.

You lifted your gaze from the food and noticed a few of the men from the table to your left had been eyeing you, watching your body move in your tight dress. You searched over the faces, looking for any sign of importance to the king, but all you saw were overly drunken men with big burly beards and aged skin. You smiled as they watched you grab a turkey leg and dig your face into it, making a point to be as unladylike as possible. When you looked up from your feast they had turned away in disgust, and a larger smiled crept across your face as you continued to eat.

Your hair hung in soft curls, pulled away from your face and cascading down your back. You pressed your finger to the gold clip that held both sides of your hair back, it felt odd having other women dress you, do your hair, or even have anything ornate surround you. You had been told the queen insisted, and you were not one to say no to a woman of power. You set the leg bone down and grabbed another goblet left on the table, sipping the wine slowly and allowing your taste buds to devour the blackberry and cherry flavored liquor.

“My, you look stunning in that” Loki said as he appeared behind you.

“Isn’t that why you picked it out” you replied between sips.

He arched his eyebrow as he walked in front of you, pausing to take in your full form. The warmth of the wine seemed to have awakened another beast inside you, a fire burning brightly that had been snuffed out for so long. Your eyes lingered on his, dancing around the frame of his face to his beautiful green and gold armor and the way his pants hugged his muscled legs.

“I take no interest in women’s clothes. Unless they’re coming off” said the prince as he grabbed a goblet from a passing maid.

“Am I to believe your mother picked this out then?” you said turning in a circle, showing him how the fabric glistened in emerald underneath the light.

“The queen is not one for subtlety” he said with a laugh, turning to face his mother.

Her and Odin were still dancing as the chatter around you grew louder, clinks of cups and cheery thanks were filling the large hall, and thankfully so as it felt your heart was beating loud enough for the world to hear it. You downed the rest of your glass and looked for a place to sit, skimming the crowd for the most interesting guest. 

“Care to dance?” Loki asked while setting his goblet down.

You eyed him suspiciously; his smile was wicked as he extended his hand towards you. Something in you snapped, your learned caution seemed lost as you allowed him to take your hand and pull you towards the dance floor. He chose a spot furthest from his mother and father, thankfully so as Odin seemed to think his stare could melt you as you walked by, and he did not notice his wife giving you a devious smile. You kept your eyes locked on Loki as he turned you around to face him, placing his hand at the small of your back while his other hand stayed locked in yours, taking the lead as the music slowed. You two danced in silence, the room began to turn slowly as he swirled and glided with you in your own little space, seemingly tuning out the rest of the world. You brought yourself closer to him, smelling the familiar scent of his musk mixed with the wine. 

“I apologize for earlier today, I hope you know I just enjoy toying with you, in a harmless way of course” he whispered in your ear.

You said nothing as he spun you around again, inching his arm more snuggly around your waist. Your gaze had been over his shoulder until he had spoken, and now you were met with the softness of his skin, it looked smooth as glass, begging to be touched. You smiled nervously, unsure of what to say to him.

“I don’t think you’ve even been this docile around me” he whispered

“I’m not sure how to respond” you admitted

“You don’t trust me, do you?” he asked as the music started to get a bit more upbeat.

“I don’t trust anyone” you sighed, giving him an apologetic smile. “What is this party for, anyways?” you asked realizing you weren’t entirely sure what you were celebrating.

“It’s my parent’s anniversary.” Loki said rolling his eyes.

“Oh.” Was all you could say in response.

You let Loki lead you in your dance, a little less enthusiastically now. He seemed to notice your change in demeanor, as his arm loosened, dropping his elbow so that it faced outward, putting a decent amount of space between your bodies. You looked to your right, noticing Daggen had been staring at you, cup to his lips and eyes as red as the morning sun. Loki turned to face the direction your eyes had taken; Daggen smiled at the prince and raised his cup. Loki nodded, a gesture understood, and turned back to face you.

“He’s been watching the whole time. Do you think he’s jealous?” he asked playfully.

“Oh, I think he is the very opposite of jealous” you said with a smile.

“I’m getting a bit thirsty, would you like to join me at our table? I’m sure Sif misses you” Loki said with a wink.

You rolled your eyes and followed him to the head table, taking a seat opposite of Thor and next to Hogun while Loki opted to sit next to his brother. Thor’s hair was a mess; his cheeks were red and puffy with laughter. He had a huge smile on his face when Loki sat next to him, giving him a loud pat on his back while Loki grumbled a hello to him. You watched the pair of them in silence while Sif glared at you from the Thor’s other side, Hogun had yet to greet you and Fandral was pre-occupied with a woman on his lap. You listened to their conversation about the various realms, past battles and their childhood. Loki seemed to brighten more and more as Thor began to praise his intelligence, something you assumed only happened when he was drinking. You sipped wine quietly and laughed at the few jokes passed between the men, lifting your glass a few times to toast one thing or another.

“So, ___, how are you enjoying your stay?” Thor boomed as he faced you.

“It’s..interesting. To say the least” you said coolly.

“Daggen seems to have taken quiet an interest in you.” Thor said with a grin.

“Daggen is a married man” Hogun chimed in.

“Never seemed to bother her before” Sif spat dryly.

Thor coughed uncomfortably as a blanket of silence fell over the small group. You took your time finishing your third glass of wine, before setting it down and getting up from the bench. You forced back the urge to slice her throat, instead choosing to focus on the huge moon hanging directly outside the balcony. You ignored the chatter around you, the swish of your dress on the marble floor echoed as you walked, your footsteps mimicking your quickened heartbeat. You braced yourself on the thick marble fence around the oval balcony and looked down beyond the courtyard. 

The water was still and silent, you were on the furthest side of Asgard, facing the rainbow bridge, if you looked hard enough you could nearly make out the bifrost that Heimdall guarded. You would have to visit him soon; you missed your old friend. As you took in the sight around you, a familiar presence loomed over you like a shadow.

“I am surprised you handled that so gracefully” Loki said taking a place next to you.

“Are you hinting that I am graceless?” you huffed.

“Not all, hot headed maybe, but you’re a very graceful woman” he said giving you a smile.

You turned your attention back to the courtyard, noticing a pair of shadows walking along the trees. You tried to listen but a sudden gust of wind drowned out the sound of their whispers. You could barely see the outline of him, but you could tell it was Daggen. He was talking in an angry tone, while the man next to him seemed to be just as annoyed was he was. You waited for them to step into the moonlight, half contemplating jumping down into the trees so you could spy on him.

“Are we friends now?” Loki asked abruptly.

“I, what?” you asked.

“Friends. You know what those are don’t you?” he asked.

“Do you?” you snapped back.

“Always so feisty, what happened to the docile little creature I was dancing with?” he asked placing his hand on your shoulder.

“I am not a creature, Loki. “ You said looking back into the thicket of trees.

You noticed their shadows had disappeared, and to your annoyance they were nowhere in sight. You sighed and rubbed your temples, trying to figure out where they could have disappeared in such a hurry.

“ They are just beyond the courtyard now, in the hedge maze” Loki said pointing to your left.

You followed his finger and saw two shadows disappear into the hedges. 

“How did you know that?” You asked jumping on the balcony and letting your legs dangle.

He gripped onto your arm, looking down at the ground before staring back at you. He shook his head and held onto your arm, a warm feeling suddenly took over your body and in a flash you were in-between a thicket of bushes, surrounding you on all sides in a square. You blinked and opened your mouth to speak but Loki’s hand covered your lips, pressing his finger against his and hushing you. You stayed crouched with him and listened, you heard nothing but the chirping of crickets and rustling of grass. Suddenly Daggen’s voice cut through the wind, it sounded like he was two feet in front of you.

“You told me it would be done tonight!” he hissed.

“I was invited to the party, my lord, I couldn’t accomplish it with all these people watching” whispered the stranger.

“Well you already have your gold, I expect it to be taken care of, immediately.” he snarled, turning on his heel and walking away towards the entrance.

You both waited in silence for the other man to disappear, Loki stood up and motioned for you to follow him forward. The bush in front of you disappeared; you waved your hand in front of where it had just been, slightly confused before a realization formed in your head.

“Loki, if you could magically poof us down here and hide us behind a fake bush, why didn’t you just magic poof me to Daggen’s window?” you asked narrowing your eyes.

“God of Mischief my dove, how often do I have to remind you?” he laughed as he walked toward the pond.

“You are a horrible friend.” you muttered, following his soft footsteps to the glimmering water.

“Forgive me, I have not had very many friends” he replied with a sad smile.

You watched the muscles in his back flex as he clasped his hands behind him, his armor glistened under the peaking moon, gold plated and polished to perfection. He came to a stop at the edge of the water and tilted his head up to look at the starless sky. You quietly stood next to him, watching him from the corner of your eye. His profile looked like the portrait of a king, his sharp nose and cheekbones pulling his porcelain skin taught over the bone, he looked like grace and determination, everything a king should be. 

“May I ask you about Thanos?” he said turning to you.

His hair looked a deep blue the way the moon shone on him, his kindness seemed only to make an appearance when there was nobody else around.

“I thought he didn’t interest you” you muttered turning away from his gaze.

“He doesn’t, but from what I’ve heard he cannot reproduce as usual gods can..” he trailed off.

It took a moment for you to understand that he was asking a question rather than just continuing on the conversation. You tried to contain yourself but the laughter came bursting from you, making your shoulders shake as you held your hand over your mouth trying to quiet yourself. You sucked in air through your nose, trying to regain your composure before you turned to him.

“You think I am his daughter?” you asked, still giggling behind your fingers.

“It was a theory, the rumors are pretty..vile. Though nobody seems to know how he came to..have you” Loki said stumbling over his words.

“So you have heard then” you said pressing your fingers to the corners of your eyes, trying to rub the collecting tears out.

Loki’s strong arms came around your shoulders, pulling you against his golden breastplate, the armor was as cold as ice and it sent shivers down your spine. You felt his cheek rest against your hair as his hands drew circles along your shoulder blades; the softness of his hands surprised you. You gulped, racking your brain for a response but all you really wanted to do was lean into his embrace. You allowed yourself to relax into him, the strain of constant suspicion was a heavy burden, and it felt nice for once to put down your guard and feel normal, even if it was for a moment.

“A real man does not force his way between a woman’s legs” he whispered, placing a light kiss on the side of your cheek.

You stood there in your silent embrace, the buzzing and laughter from the partying hummed down from the open windows, the wind whipped through your hair, blowing soft curls along your back as Loki pulled away from you, putting his finger under your chin and tilting your face to meet his gaze.

“Is this another trick?” you asked cocking an eyebrow.

He laughed and shook his head. “No dove, this is me being a friend.”


	6. Horses and Men

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More semi-fluff and I really tried not to put a horse joke in this chapter.
> 
> But I had to, sorry Loki.

It had been a couple of days since the party; you had spent most of your time wandering around the library, reading about the history of Jotun and Asgard. You had to hide the book on Jotun between two larger books so that if Loki ever came to accompany you he would not ask about it. You were good at lies, but this was one subject that you wished to not lie to him about, it gave you a sick feeling in your stomach every time he spoke of his plans for when he sat on the throne. Thor had become more of a friend to you now too, though he and his brother were about as alike as hot and cold, their deep seeded love and friendship made you appreciate Thor more. Loki was not the easiest person to be around, he very rarely took others into consideration, but Thor seemed to ignore that fact, until Odin was placed between the two, he was the instigator of their family problem.

Since you had been staying here, Odin rarely came around his two sons now, spending most of his time speaking to his generals and council members. You were on your way to pay Daggen a visit since he had not done what you had told him too, until Loki came from Odin’s throne room, glowing with excitement. You were walking back from reading in the garden when Loki nearly ran you over. He knocked into you, grabbing your forearm and hovering your body over the floor so you wouldn’t slam into it. You blinked and cursed, gripping at his shoulder to pull yourself up before straightening your skirt.

“What’s got you all hot and bothered, found a new plaything?” you asked raising your eyebrow.

“Jealous?” Loki asked with a broad smile.

“In your dreams, _my prince_ ” you said sarcastically.

“Oh you know what that does to me when you call me that.” Loki said darkly, giving you a wink.

“Are you going to tell me? This conversation is beginning to bore me.” you said hoping your body did not betray you, because this conversation was doing the exact opposite of boring you.

“Daggen has asked me to command his infantry, I was just discussing plans to help end the civil war that’s been going on Alfheim. I think father is finally coming to realize I have more intelligence than his whole congregation combined.” Loki said excitedly.

“Wait, the war has been going on in Alfheim?” you asked trying to mask your worry with a fake yawn.

“Yes, it’s not very bad yet but father wants to stop it from progressing..” Loki said looking at you quizzically. “We are really just going to stand as watch dogs while father and I speak to their king. Nobody knows what started it, that’s part of the problem” Loki finished.

You gulped and tried to think of another topic of conversation. You thought back to Anthronie, the tiny light elf that had helped hide you even though the majority of his fellow people thought you were dangerous and brought bad luck to all who touched you. You weren’t entirely sure where that rumor got started, but it made traveling with companionship a lot harder. You had found out Thanos was looking for the infinity gems by word of mouth, which meant he was seeking people to help him out, which in turn probably meant he had been seeking people to find you. You shuddered at the thought that you alone could cause an all out war in the mostly peaceful realm, it made your entire body go numb.

“___, did you hear me?” Loki asked waving his hand in front of you.

“What?” you asked snapping back to the real world.

“I asked if you wanted to go on a ride with me, I’ll be leaving in a few short days, but the summer festival is tonight and we should probably find a reason to leave, mother gets stressed out planning these things alone..” Loki responded.

You nodded and followed the prince back out to the garden, weaving through the plants and flowers as you made your way towards the stables. You hoped this would be a good distraction to the information you had just been given, you wanted to tell Loki, but then you would have to explain everything. Your heart twisted at the thought, he was your first real friend in well, ever, and you did not want his view of you to change. You stopped in front of the stable doors; two black horses greeted you with shiny coats and manes the color of fresh fallen snow. They whipped their stark-white tails happily as Loki approached them, rubbing their noses and giving them a pat on the head.

“Have you ever ridden before?” Loki asked turning to you, one hand still on one of the horses.

“Not animals..” you muttered, quickly regretting your sardonic mouth.

Loki smirked and walked up to you, cupping your face in his hands. 

“Your mouth really does get you into trouble” Loki said before releasing your face and walking back to the stables.

You hadn’t notice you were holding your breath until he walked away, allowing your lungs to fill with air. You stood silently as he opened the stable and led the horse out into the open garden. The sun was getting higher in the sky and you were glad you had allowed Frigga’s maid to braid your hair to keep it from sticking to your face and neck. Loki shut the stable, handing the other horse an apple before jumping onto his steed like it was the easiest thing in the world. He placed the reins in the horse’s mouth, and flicked them with his wrist and the horse trotted towards you, stopping so that you were eye level with Loki’s knee. He held out his hand to you, motioning you up with the tilt of his head. You grabbed onto his hand, letting him yank you over the bare horse and allowing you to adjust your position before he began walking the horse towards the front of the palace.

“Riding bareback is pretty bold of you.” You said, wrapping your arms around Loki’s waist.

“I did that for you, dove, you look like you need to relieve some stress” he said with a chuckle.

“I thought horses were your thing” you said laughing, pinching his stomach playfully as the horse began to trot.

“That was a rumor, started by my brother and his stupid friends” Loki said defensively as you exited through the palace gates.

“It’s okay, I don’t judge.” you said playfully.

Loki groaned and flicked his wrists again as the horse began to trot faster towards the outskirts of the palace. You watched as people stepped to the side, allowing you both to pass as you followed the cobblestone path to the less inhabited part of Asgard. Great, blooming trees lined the path, small cottage houses were scattered along the hillside, you could make out the small farmhouses that had large crops extending back towards the water and some had pens with various animals scampering about. You turned to your left, watching the palace disappear as you took a hard right, going towards a lush line of trees. 

“Hold on dove” Loki sang before gripping the reins in his hand and signaling the horse to go into a full on run.

You yelped at the increased speed, locking your fingers together around his waist as the path went from stone to dirt. You felt the dirt flying up in a cloud behind you; the wind hit your face, cooling you from the high sun. Loki’s hair whipped back behind you, the smell of him was becoming enchanting. You scooted up closer, resting your chin on his shoulder as you passed through an archway made from branches of thick trees, the sounds of birds chirping surrounded you, matching the methodical beat of hooves on the ground. 

You sighed, feeling unnaturally worry free, the only things in your world were the sound of the forest and Loki’s scent. You had to practically force yourself not to nuzzle against his soft skin. The forest began to clear and a vast meadow of tall grass and white flowers came to your view, with one single tree in the center of the field, it was the biggest you had ever seen. It gave shade to nearly the half the field, its thick trunk seeded deeply in the ground while its hundreds of branches floundered up into the sky, lush with green leaves. You gasped at the sight as you came to a stop, peering over Loki’s shoulder at it.

“Do you recognize it?” Loki asked, flicking the reins lightly as the horse walked towards it.

“It looks vaguely familiar..” you said trying to place the image.

“It’s been here since my father was a small child, which should tell you how old it is. Nobody knows if it was put here by someone or if it just grows naturally there, but it’s shaped like the Yggdrasil” Loki said. “Or that’s what they say” 

“It’s beautiful” you replied softly.

The horse trotted towards it, kneeling down at the base of it so you and Loki could easily get off. He gave the horse a pat on the head as it walked over to the far side of the shaded field, laying down and resting its head for sleep. You looked up through the branches, small bouts of light peaked through the branches and leaves, shining on certain parts of your face. You felt at ease here, every weight you were carrying seemed to float away, leaving you blissfully happy. 

You sat down underneath the tree, laying back and resting your head on your arms while Loki took the same position next to you. You both sat there in silence, the soft sound of the wind whistling through the leaves, the wildflowers tickling your wrists and arms. You turned to face Loki on your side, propping your head up with your hand as you fingered a small flower near you with the other.

“Why did you bring me here?” you asked.

“We’re friends” he responded, eyes closed.

“You bring all your friends to fields of flowers?” you asked poking his side.

“I told you, you seemed stressed”

“This is where the prince of darkness comes to take a break, a field of flowers?” you asked pulling at a lock of his hair.

“I am _not_ the prince of darkness. If anything, Thanos would take the title of anything having to do with darkness” he responded, turning his head towards you. “Are you ever going to tell me anything about you, or do I just have to guess?” 

“Why are you so obsessed with Thanos?” you asked averting your eyes to the ground.

“I am not obsessed with him, I am just wondering why he is obsessed with you.” He replied, placing his finger under your chin and pulling it upwards.

Your watched curiosity swim in his emerald eyes, the direct sunlight caused them to sparkle like real gems, his dark eyelashes framed them perfectly and you knew if you didn’t hold yourself together you would be lost in them for hours. 

“Three questions” you stated.

“What?” he asked, slightly startled.

“You may ask me three questions today” you replied, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy.

Loki smiled sweetly, turning his body so you both lay on your sides, facing each other. Small flowers danced around you, the silence was becoming uncomfortable, at least on your end while you waited for him to speak. Out of all the questions he could ask, there were very few that you could answer without wanting to throw up. 

“How did Thanos come to have you?” he said finally.

“I have no idea” you said, at least this one wasn’t that horrible. “I don’t have much memory before then, but he was only sweet to me for some time, not even like a father just like a guardian. It ended almost as quickly as it began though, something happened, I’m not sure what, but before I knew it I was sent away.” You said biting your lip.

“Where do your powers come from?” Loki said without missing a beat.

“Again, no idea. Thanos wasn’t exactly the talking type. He told me literally nothing about my past, I didn’t even find out I had powers until I became a maid for Sif’s family.” You quickly covered your mouth, that was one detail you didn’t want to let slip out.

“Can I add another part to the previous question?” Loki asked with his eyes wide. “I know you said three, but I would really like more of an explanation on this front” he said grinning.

You sighed and nodded, grabbing the tail end of your braid and began playing with the ends.

“Where you just a maid to her family?” Loki asked in almost a whisper.

“Nope.” You replied, trying to keep your voice from quivering. 

Loki sighed, running his finger down your cheek and to your chin, letting his fingers dance down to grab your hand, locking his fingers between yours. Your heart felt like it was swelling twice its normal size, you wanted to pull away and smother him with kisses at the same time. You hated the feeling he gave you, but the comfort that accompanied it was soon becoming worth it, you didn’t want to go back to the aching loneliness that plagued you. 

“You have one more question,” you said breaking the silence between you.

“You only have to answer if you feel you can trust me.” He said pulling your hand to his cheek. “Why are you hiding from Thanos?” he asked.

You paused for a second, trying to hash out all the reasons why you shouldn’t tell him. You had a million, if you had any indication from your past at all, you wouldn’t dare tell him anything. You had planned to lie, planned to run, planned to do anything but what actually came out of your mouth.

“Apparently I’m the only person who knows where the ninth gem is” you said quickly.

You could tell that Loki knew you hadn’t actually meant to tell him the truth, his brows furrowed in confusion, his hand was still holding yours against his cheek. He looked deep in thought, you weren’t sure how much he knew about the infinity gems, and you prayed he had no idea what you were talking about.

“I’ve only heard of the six, and barely gathered any information on the other two..I have never heard anything about a ninth gem” he said sitting up abruptly.

“Why do you care so much about the gems?” you shot back, suddenly feeling overwhelmed and panicked.

You rolled over to face the other way and tried to keep your body from shaking. The few people who have wanted the gems only wanted them for evil, for bringing chaos to the world. You knew Loki was mischievous, but his heart was not evil, though his longing for the throne could throw him down a bad path. You clutched your hands to your chest, letting your eyes fall closed as you tried to focus on the scent of the flowers. 

“Knowledge is something I pride myself on, dove. That’s all” he said leaning down to place a kiss on your cheek. 

You turned to face him, trying to find any hint of deviance behind his words. He looked soft, inviting but something in him had changed, just slightly. You were perceptive enough to notice it; he seemed a bit harsher, his demeanor shifted to a more prominent state. You opened your mouth to say something but were quieted by his finger being placed on your lips.

“Please, trust me” he sighed.

Your mind was a jumbled mess, the calming blanket that you had over you had been ripped apart. You couldn’t tell if what you were feeling was your gut telling you he was lying or just your general fear embodied into you by years of torture and perpetual evil that coursed through most of the men you had been forced to accompany. He rubbed his eyes with his palms, lying back down on his back to look up at the branches. You rolled to face him again, unsure of what to do or say. 

“This is a lovely place to sleep, I nap hear often. Plus the summer festival is tonight so you should probably want to rest. It goes on till the next morning” he said closing his eyes.

“Do your people use any excuse to throw parties and drink” you asked regaining your voice.

“Mostly” he said with a laugh.

You sighed and closed your eyes, laying your head down on your arm and let your mind wander off into a dreamless sleep.


	7. Hanging Tree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah that THG song was stuck in my head when I named this chapter.  
> This happens way to much to me.
> 
> Warning: Description of death in this chapter, not super graphic but its a possible suicide trigger, if you don't want to read it you can skip the middle and go to the end, you wont be missing any of the plot.

The faintest tickle under your nose woke you, your eyes snapped open and your hands were wrapped around Loki’s throat, his face looming over yours with an amused grin. You blinked and released your grip, but Loki stayed over you, his hair tickled your cheeks. The sun looked sleepy, it was getting ready to fall behind the forest you had come through, the temperate had dropped immensely, and you could nearly see your breath in the air. 

“Have a nice nap, dove?” he asked.

“I suppose, as good as one could in this frigid air.” you said putting your finger on his forehead, pushing him back from your face.

“Does close proximity bother you?” he sang, pushing against your finger.

“I like my space” you stuttered.

He raised an eyebrow and bent himself down further so that your noses were centimeters apart, his hot breath coasted down your lips giving your body a tingling sensation. He stared at you in silence, giving you ample time to study his features. He looked nothing like his family, for how smart he was, it baffled you that he had not yet figured out he wasn’t of Asgardian blood. You pursed your lips and decided to fight back a different way. You wrapped your arms around his waist and yanked his body down onto yours, forgetting about the armor he wore. The slamming of metal onto bone took your breath away as he landed on your chest. It was the smallest of moments but your lips touched his skin, just directly under his bottom lip, igniting a ripple of long-lost fire in your veins.

“That wasn’t very smart was it?” he asked pushing himself up onto his knees and extending his hand to you.

You groaned and ran your hands down your ribs to make sure they weren’t broken before you grabbed his hand and allowed him to pull you up to a sitting position. The horse you had rode in on trotted over to Loki, nuzzling its head against him. For the first time you heard Loki laugh out of pure happiness and not trickery or mockery, it was light and airy. It was enough to pull a smile from your face; you looked away at the forest beyond so that he would not see. 

“I think she’s trying to tell us something” he said giving the horse’s nose a pat.

“She wants round two?” 

You heard Loki grumble and you couldn’t help but turn and laugh at his deadpan expression. He rose to his feet and jumped onto the horse, motioning you up with his finger. You rose and jumped on behind him, wrapping your arms around his waist tightly. He did not go slowly this time; as soon as you were snug around him you both sped off into the winding forest towards the setting sun. Dodging and weaving through thick trees and bushes, shadows casting strange shapes as you rode past. You ducked your head behind his shoulder so his hair would not whip you in the face, feeling his golden armor cold against your cheek. 

“You should consider putting your hair in a pony tail” you said into his back.

“You know why we wear our hair long, maybe you shouldn’t complain as much” he called back.  
You huffed and squeezed his middle as the horse jumped over a fallen tree before sprinting into the clearing. You looked over Loki’s shoulder as the horse slowed its run to a trot; the village had already begun its transformation, even on the outskirts of the palace. The once plain farms had been adorned with bright string lights the color of the fading sun, strung all around the house and trees. The streetlamps had giant white sunflowers wrapped all the way around them and the lights were glowing a happy shade of pink. Small groups of people were waving as you passed, walking with linked arms as children skipped towards the center of town. 

As you drew closer to the palace you could see larger groups of people around small stands, some had special sweet summer wine by the barrels, others had slabs of meat roasting over a spinning fire, a few women were weaving flowers into crowns and handing them out to little girls in brightly colored dresses. You smiled at the sight, you had never experienced a festival like this, and everything seemed mellow and happy. You and Loki made your way to the side gate, the horse stopped and you both hopped off as a small stable boy made his way towards you. He bowed to Loki and grabbed the reigns from him, giving you a small nod and then whisked the horse away towards the stables.

“I wish I would have brought a thicker coat” you muttered, pulling your cloak around your shoulders.

You felt a warm tingling around your shoulders and back and when you reached up to touch your skin it felt like satin. You looked down to see an emerald green wrap had been placed over your thin cloak, it wrapped around your shoulders and neck with a thin, sheer fabric that fell behind you like a train on a wedding gown. You felt Loki’s hand on your lower back pushing you forward towards the festival, and you obliged happily.

“Will your father be attending?” you asked, scanning the crowd for any oncoming, unwanted conversation.

“Probably, my mother loves these things.” He said as he gave passing people half-assed smiles when they bowed.

“I’m starving, aren’t you?” you asked Loki as a man with two small children passed you, giving you sideways glance that sent shivers up your spine.

You grabbed Loki’s hand and pulled him towards one of the stands, ordered two somethings-on-sticks and handed him one with a faint smile. It smelled like honey and cinnamon with a bit of apple, you licked your lips and bit into the juicy chunk, reveling in the delicious taste. Loki watched you with a sly smile, tenderly nibbling on his while you two walked around, watching children dance gleefully as a large band strummed on wooden instruments and animal-skin drums. There were about a dozen tents set up with long wooden tables that seated at least twenty underneath the white tents, housing loud men and cheerful women drinking out of silver goblets. The tables had long, golden lace running down the centers and large vases filled with flowers of all colors sat in the centers, giving the whole festival a flowery aroma. You felt a tug at your waist and a small girl of five looked up at you with her emerald eyes, she had a simple white dress on with a matching flower crown in her long, raven hair. Her thin, pink lips curved up in a shy smile and she motioned you downward with one finger.

“What is it, dear?” you asked bending down to her level.

“Can you give this to him?” she whispered, taking off her flower crown and pointing towards Loki. You looked up at Loki who was talking to a man that had approached him from the side, fully engulfed in some sort of secret conversation. You turned back to the girl and smiled, taking the crown and giving her a quick kiss on her head.

“Of course sweetheart” you said giving her a wink. She smiled and hugged your leg before running off to one of the tents, jumping onto a large man’s lap and wrapping her tiny arms around his neck.

You turned to Loki and tapped your foot impatiently, waiting for the stranger to stop talking. Loki’s face had become rigid; you couldn’t tell if he was angry or bored of the conversation. The man gave him a quick nod, turned away from him, and trotted back to the castle, weaving between the crowds until he disappeared. 

“What was that about?” you asked poking his chest.

“Nothing you need to worry about dove” he said waiving his hand at you. “What’s that?” he asked noticing the flower crown in your hands.

“This is a present, from a secret admirer,” you said placing the crown on his head.

“Darling you don’t have to give me anything” he said grabbing your wrists. 

“It’s _not_ from me, you ass, it’s from that little girl over there” you said pointing towards the tiny girl at the tent. She smiled and hid her face behind her hands in shyness, peaking between her fingers at the two of you. Loki grabbed the flower crown and walked over to the tent where the girl was sitting on her father’s lap.

The people at the tables stood and bowed to Loki and you were wondering if he was really going to be an ass to a small child. What you saw, however, didn’t exactly shock you but it definitely took you by surprise. Loki kneeled down, presented the crown back to the girl, and said something you couldn’t fully hear from your position. He placed the crown on top of her head, said something to her father and then grabbed her tiny hand, pulling her up to his chest and walked towards the dancing crowd. You raised your eyebrow and padded towards one of the barrels of wine, grabbing a chalice and dipping it into the barrel of sweet wine. Loki began to twirl and do a mock-waltz with the little girl, holding her against his chest while she laughed as they spun. Her raven hair matched his as they danced to the upbeat tune and you couldn’t help but smile at him, he looked carefree and happy, an aura that rarely graced his body.

“You see, my brother is not so bad” you heard Thor’s deep voice come from your side.

“I never thought he was” you said taking a sip of your drink.

“I do wish that everyone could see this side of him” Thor replied.

“You mean Odin” 

Thor bit hit bottom lip and sipped on his wine, he looked like he wanted to respond but didn’t know how. You both stood there in awkward silence, watching a man you were both very fond of bring happiness to a shy little girl. The song ended and he set her down, kneeling and giving her a kiss on her hand, causing her to squeal and run back to her father with blushing cheeks. Loki stood up and turned to see you and Thor looking at him, and a scowl returned to his face. You rolled your eyes and motioned for him to come forward but the same man from before approached him.

“Who is that?” you asked stepping towards him.

“Castris” Thor said, putting his arm up to stop you from going forward. “Daggen is missing, and they have been trying to find Loki all day. They need to figure out a plan for Alfheim and since Daggen appointed Loki before his disappearance..” 

“Do they honestly think Loki killed Daggen just so he could be fully in charge?” you asked through gritted teeth.

Thor sighed and drank the rest of his wine, casting the silver aside in the grass before walking towards his brother. Loki had the man pulled up to his face by his shirt now, the small man’s feet were hovering over the dirt and Loki had his face pressed into his. You followed Thor but two guards appeared out of the crowd and stuck their hands up to block you. You scoffed and grabbed them both by the ear and slammed their heads together and then let them fall to the ground unconscious.

“Brother please, let us take this matter elsewhere,” Thor hissed, trying to pry Loki and the man apart.

Loki muttered something inaudible and then dropped the petrified man who then threw his hands to his throat and inhaled deeply like he had been deprived of oxygen. The three of them began walking behind the crowd of tents, past the many booths selling food and drink and behind the rows of houses towards a tiny cluster of trees. Loki was in front, Castris was behind him with Thor strolling at his side. Loki’s fists were clenched as he walked, his back was ramrod straight and you could almost feel the tension engulfing the surrounding area. You trailed behind, ducking and dodging behind fences and statues so that you would not be seen, you could hear a babbling brook as you entered the small forest, but you were still close enough to the party that shouts and laughter could be heard over the thick brush. 

You ducked behind one of the larger bushes, pushing the sticks away from your face and dug your heels into the ground. You waited for them to speak but when they did their voices were so hushed you could barely hear a thing. You grumbled to yourself and rolled over to a large rock, barely making it behind before Thor turned to where you just were. You waited a few moments before peering around it and wondered why they didn’t just walk back to the palace. Then, from beyond the shadows, Odin appeared with a look of disgust on his face. You watched Loki’s body tense, you felt the anger seeping from his pores and it made your heart wretch. 

“Loki, what have you done with him?” Odin commanded.

“What the hell are you talking about? Why would I need to kill him, he _already_ put me in charge.” Loki said annoyed.

“I don’t know why you do the things you do Loki, but after he put you in charge he hasn’t been seen since. It’s all very odd” Odin replied walking towards his sons.

“And who was it that suggested this ridiculous theory? Was it you father? Anything to keep me from having any sort of power!” Loki growled fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white.

“Now that is ridiculous, Loki” Odin said through his teeth.

You rolled your eyes, they were all ridiculous, and why wouldn’t they just conduct a search party instead of pointing fingers? You shifted awkwardly, feeling a tickle at your ankle. You pushed away the grass and your eye caught something on the other side of the river, hanging from the trees. You squinted, trying to make out the foreign shape but you were too far away. You grabbed your cloak from under your shawl Loki had given you and flipped your hood up and stared at the riverbank, it was thin enough that you could probably jump over without making much noise. You stood up and reversed a few steps then took your running leap over the river and landed in a large pile of mud. You slapped your hand over your mouth to keep from yelping as your ankles sunk into the mud, coating your skirt and wrap. You lifted your leg from the mud, trying your best not to make a noise as you trudged towards the shadow in the trees. 

The sun had set and the moon was making its appearance over the trees bringing along a soft wind. You walked quietly towards the cluster of trees; the thick shadow suddenly took the shape of a body swinging from a rope. Your eyes widened as you raced towards it, the wind blowing the body to face towards you, and you instantly recognized those honey eyes. You grabbed your knife and jumped up, cutting the rope in one swift motion and caught the body as it fell. 

“Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck” you yelled, putting your mouth to his, trying to breathe life back into him.

Your eyes began to water; you flipped your hood off and stared down sadly at Daggen’s lover. He was cold, lips blue and eyes bloodshot, he looked scared and sad. You took the noose off his neck and threw it to the ground, now finding him was a top priority, and then you were going to kill him. You rose to your feet and began walking back towards the group of arguing men, hot tears streaming down your face as you made your way towards the riverbank. When you came upon them, Thor had joined the argument; both him and Loki were in each other’s face, screaming. 

Odin saw you first, his lips tightened in anger, then with a sudden realization, his eyes grew wide, and then he appeared beside you. You stiffened and instantly lost your ability to breathe, your legs locked and you could barely see straight, dots of color appeared between spots of black. You felt hands on you and you fell to your knees, still holding onto the boy tightly as your world went black. 

\---------

“Dove..” you heard Loki’s voice as he shook your shoulder.

Your eyes popped open and you shot up like a canon, breathing erratically. You looked around you, you were back in the palace and in a large bed, and black drapes were pulled all around the golden rods except for your left side where Loki was seated next to you. You put your face in your hands and tried to regain composure, you remembered the body and then everything else was just empty space.

“You were talking in your sleep..” Loki murmured avoiding your eyes.

“What was I saying?” you asked placing your hands on your knees and pulling them into your chest.  
His silence sent an uncomfortable knot to the pit of your stomach; you had a very good idea of what you were saying. 

“Wait, the boy. What happened, where is he?” you asked panicked.

“His body has been taken down so the proper burial can take place, his family is being informed of his suicide right now” Loki said handing you a cup of water.

“It wasn’t a suicide” you said gulping down the water.

“He was hanging from a tree, you found him that way” Loki said giving you an odd look.

“Depending on magic and throwing science into the wind is going to be your people’s downfall.” You said spitefully. “His neck wasn’t bruised; he was dead over ten hours before he was strung up there. Do you not have anyone to look at bodies?” 

“Well..no” Loki said still slightly confused. “Who would want to murder him? He’s just a stable boy.” 

“You talk about midguardians being dull, _think_ about the day in the garden, Loki” you said tapping your fingers on the glass.

You watched Loki’s brow furrow in thought, he brought his hand to his chin and tapped his fingers lightly against it. You bit your bottom lip and looked at your surroundings, noting the silk sheet were black like the thin fabric that enclosed the bed. You ran your fingers over the thick, green comforter, noting the detail of gold laced in various patterns throughout the fabric and it was so soft it made you never want to leave this bed again. You knew you were in his bed, the prince’s bed, and you wondered how many other women laid here with him. 

“He and Daggen were lovers” Loki said, snapping you out of your thoughts.

“Yes, and now he is mysteriously missing” you said swinging your legs out. “Remember your parent’s anniversary? He hired someone to kill him that night but he failed, so he probably did it himself, and now he’s ran away like a coward because he knows I have no problem telling..” you trailed off, you couldn’t get his name to come out of your mouth.

“My father” Loki finished, averting his eyes once more.

“Yes, and this also clears your name” you said jumping off the bed. 

“Is he actually going to believe his favorite commander took a young boy as a lover?” 

“I never have a reason to lie about anything” you said pulling your cape from the dresser and clasping it around your neck. “I pride myself in holding other peoples secrets, and I avoid having my own.” Though now that wasn’t entirely true, you were kind of falling for Loki, just a little, nothing you couldn’t control. 

“Well, I supposed I should go talk to him” Loki said as he rose from his chair and straightened his breastplate.

“Why only you? I’m the one who actually saw all of this” you said crossing your arms in annoyance.

“Do you really want to subject yourself to him?”

“I didn’t have a problem with it when I arrived, if you recall” you shot back.

“Yes” Loki said with a laugh. “I do recall, quiet vividly,” he said giving you a smile that you couldn’t quiet place. “Shall we?” he said motioning towards the door.

You nodded and made your way out of the room and down a huge set of spiral stairs, praying that your heart would beat normally and hopefully you wouldn’t end up black out on the floor.


End file.
